From Now On
by PsychicDreams
Summary: [Zulf/Kid] Kid picked the future instead of the past, but now he has to deal with the consequences when he brought Zulf back.


(This is an old story of mine from a few years ago, so it might read a little rough.)

He lifted his head at hearing footsteps. "Kid."

Kid. His name? No. Did he remember what it used to be? No. Rucks, the elderly man that he'd found early on after the Calamity had struck, had just called him that and it stuck. "Yeah?"

Rucks slowly sat down next to him as he stared out at the ground below. He'd silently listened to Zia and Rucks at the end, when he'd received the last shard. Rucks had wanted to go back, before the Calamity had struck and Zia just wanted to move on and see the rest of the world. There had been no guarantee that they could have prevented the Calamity from happening again. But perhaps the biggest reason for his decision was the reason the Calamity had been made. Caelondia had created it against the Ura, Zia and Zulf's people, after that war, something to keep them underground. It would have destroyed them entirely. So focused on the past, they hadn't bothered to move forward after peace had been declared, and look what it had gotten them.

The sun was warm, shining down on their floating Bastion, a fairly small stretch of grassy platform powered by the crystal cores. There were four tents set up, one for each of them, and it was as comfortable as they could make it, given that it was their home. Not that much for socializing, Kid had been forced to learn it as he couldn't spend his time in the armory or the distillery all day.

"Kid, you listenin'?"

He blinked and shook his head. "No," he said honestly. "What is it?"

Rucks sighed. "I think we have a problem."

Kid straightened. He was everything to the other three. He, despite his young age at eighteen, had seen more combat than them and was their main…no, only source of defense. Having volunteered for two five-year turns on the Rippling Wall did that to you, and he'd intended on joining the Marshalls. Rucks was too old to fight, Zia completely untrained, and Zulf… Should anything happen to him, they were as good as dead.

"What is it?" he repeated, looking over at the top of the core drive for the Bastion. "Is it failing?"

"No, it ain't about the Bastion."

Kid blinked. "…Okay, then what is it about?"

"It's about Zulf and Zia."

He tilted his head in confusion, the white hair he'd inherited from his mother that had caused him so many problems shifting lightly in the wind. "What about them?"

"Haven't you noticed the looks Zia's being givin' you lately?"

He thought back. There had been an odd expression on her face recently. "Well, now that you mention it, I did notice something. What about it?"

"And you've noticed the same look comin' from Zulf?"

"…Him too, actually. Stop beating around the bush, Rucks."

Rucks sighed again. "They're both sweet on you, Kid."

"I'm not particularly sweet, Rucks…"

"You ain't never heard that phrase before?"

"Rucks, I've spent my entire life since I was eight on the Rippling Walls learning to fight. There wasn't a lot of time for chatting and I did a lot of solo patrols in my second tour."

"Well, it means that they like you. Romantically. I trust you know what _that_ entails."

Kid blushed brightly, looking askance at Zulf and Zia over his shoulder. They didn't notice, Zulf too busy smoking his pipe and Zia playing her harp. "But…!"

"Seems like Zia's been falling for you little by little since you brought her the first time, and Zulf, well… I noticed he started looking at you after you brought him back despite what he did."

"Well I wasn't going to leave him there! I can sympathize with how he must be feeling. He worked so hard for peace between the Ura and Caelondia and to find out that Caelondia had made a 'kill-all', in fact had Zia's father design it, would make anyone get a _tad_ pissed off and crazy. Besides…the Ura turned on him because of me. I was just…massacring them, Rucks. They didn't stand a chance against me and most of their forces were gone."

"I didn't say bringin' him back was a bad idea, Kid. I'm just sayin' that that's when I noticed it starting. However, now you begin to see why this is a problem, dontcha? There's four people on the Bastion and two of them are sweet on one of the others. You're gonna have to decide if you want a relationship, and if so, who with, otherwise this boat of ours is gonna get mighty rocky."

Kid dropped his head into his hands. This was not what he wanted to think about, but then, there was precious little to do. The Bastion didn't move very fast and the Caelondian empire had stretched for a long way away. The Calamity had destroyed both the Ura and Caelondia, so there was a lot of sky and broken bits of land floating in the air between them and…well…anything.

Rucks sat next to him silently as Kid thought it through and came to no solid conclusion. As the sun began to sink, turning the blue into brilliant reds and golds, he realized that he'd been thinking for hours and found himself alone. Some time ago Rucks had apparently left him be. A pleasant smell drifted on the breeze and he turned, looking at the large cauldron that Zulf had been making dinner in. He was the _only_ one of them that could do anything other than burn stuff. Kid wasn't that bad, but his was more trained for taking inhospitable items and somehow turning them edible long enough to not starve out in The Wilds or other places that existed just to try to kill you.

The baby anklegator he'd picked up in The Wild had taken after Zia like she was its mother and Zia smiled at it as its horn lifted from the ground to show its beady eyes and dangerously sharp teeth. She dropped something in its mouth, snatching it from Zulf before he could put it in the cauldron, which it chomped happily before sinking again, only its orange horn showing.

Kid stood up and wandered closer to his three companions. The also-baby pecker he'd picked up landed on his shoulder, nudging at his cheek. He'd gotten so many little 'pets' in his journey to outfit the Bastion. The first was the adorable little squirt that always floated around as if it had hearts above its head, dancing around people's ankles. Now that Rucks had pointed it out, he could see it when Zia smiled at him or in Zulf's eyes.

"Are you hungry?"

Despite it all, Kid smiled. "Yeah."

Zia brightened. She had always looked strangely sad to him when he'd first met her, but now she was all smiles. Her bright clothes, something Zulf shared and must be an Ura thing, finally fit her now that she was happy. He could never wear what they did, his dark skintone not allowing it, but both of the Ura had skin so pale it was almost white. They could wear anything.

"What were you brooding about all day?"

Kid took the bowl of stew that was handed to him and glanced at Zulf, who seemed honestly curious. "Nothing really. It was just a nice day…and I guess I was wondering how long it'll take to find anyone. I've been on the Rippling Wall for ten years, but that was against The Wilds and…"

"The Ura," Zulf supplied, not seeming even a hint bitter.

"Yeah. I've never gone to the other end of the Caelondia empire, so I don't know what's out there. For all I know, all there was, was Caelondia and the Ura."

They looked at Rucks, who shrugged his old shoulders at them. "I don't think anyone knows, Kid. The empire has stood for a long time, long before _my_ time."

"Then I guess we'll find out." Zia's optimism was a tad infectious and he grinned brightly back at her. Zulf's expression didn't so much as twitch, still as calm as ever. He slowly seemed to be getting over the fact that they'd welcomed him back with no ill will despite what he'd done.

Zia played her harp for them after dinner, her singing voice lulling him pleasantly into a daze. He didn't even really notice when Zulf had tugged him onto the large cushion that he'd placed next to his pipe. It was a snug, but not tight fit. Rucks gave them a look, not that he cared because at that point. The small puff he'd taken a small of the pipe seemed to kneed and relax all his muscles. It was a light feeling as the smoke went through him and as he listened to Zia's singing and stared at the bottle next to them, his mind wandered. The first time he'd ever tried it, it had knocked him out, but Zulf had laughingly told him after that he should start small.

After that, he had little recollection.

When he came back to himself, blinking his eyes open, he was in his tent. The feeling of the smoke still clung just a little, enough to keep him relaxed. Who had moved him? When had he fallen asleep? Kid sat up, knocking something off his pillow and he blinked. He looked over and his eyes widened at seeing a carved wrist band. He'd seen this before in a pile of belongings before they'd been put away.

Picking it up, he wondered if it had been dropped by accident or placed there. Well, there was only one way to find out so he stood up. He dropped the cog that he habitually carried before stepping out in his light clothing. It was windy, which wasn't surprising given how high up they were, but it wasn't that bad. At least it wasn't freezing wind.

It was deep night, the moon bright in the sky. Everyone was asleep, judging by the sounds of breathing. Even their pets were resting. He almost couldn't see the horn of the anklegator. Kid wondered briefly if he should wait until the next morning when he spotted a very dull light coming from the tent he was going to visit. Still up, huh?

Determined now, Kid went to the tent opposite of his own. There were no doors to knock on, so he softly rapped on a post, whispering, "Zulf?"

At first there was no answer and then an equally soft voice echoed from inside, "Come in."

Kid stepped inside. He'd never seen the inside of either Zulf or Zia's hut, but it was something like he expected: lots of pillows and seemed designed for comfort. A very small table, beat up and had seen much better days, was near his elbow and his pipe sat on top. The Ura was reclining back, worn book in his hands. The tent was smallish and seemed cramped with all the pillows, and made Zulf look bigger than he actually was.

"Kid?"

He shook his head, having gotten lost in his introspection. "Zulf, what is this? I found it in my tent."

Zulf looked at the wrist bracelet and gave a resigned sigh and smile. "I didn't think you'd find it so soon."

"So you did place it there."

Zulf closed the book and propped himself up on his elbow, the candlelight flickering once. "I did."

"Why?"

"Please sit, Kid. I will explain."

"Uh…"

"Anywhere will do."

Kid looked around and gingerly chose a large pillow only to be almost swallowed by its softness. It was so comfortable, it was like sleeping on a cloud…or what Kid assumed that would feel like. Zulf smiled at his reaction.

"How much do you know of the Ura culture?"

"Not…all that much."

"Ura…will use such clasps as a way to signal their romantic affections and intentions."

Kid almost choked on the air he was breathing. Wait, Zulf had just admitted it?! "What?"

Zulf just continued to smile at him. "I said that I was attempting to show you my romantic affections."

"B-But…" Kid sighed. "Look, Rucks…he told me that you and Zia…"

"Ah, Zia." Those soulful brown eyes closed, but then opened again. "Yes, I'm aware."

"Wait…you are?"

"We spoke at length to each other with our feelings when we recognized it in each other. Knowing that this is a small group and that we both loved you, we talked and agreed that it didn't matter who you picked, if you picked either of us, so long as you were happy."

"So…you're not…going to be jealous or anything?"

"I have no right to be jealous. Who you love is up to you. I just wanted you to know my feelings. Though…I would appreciate an answer, now that you have confronted me about this."

Oh yeah. An answer. What did he give? Did he say no to Zulf? To Zia? To both? Should he say yes? As Rucks had said, adding in romance always made things more complicated and he'd never been with anyone before. Spending most of his time fighting did that to him. He'd never given it much thought before now, which was ironic given that the Calamity had pretty much destroyed his home and people.

"Kid?"

He blushed a little, the tent seeming even more confining and intimate now. His eyes looked at Zulf and then at the tent flaps, forcing himself to really think about it. He liked Zia, he did. She was a very pretty and loving girl, who seemed so optimistic despite all the bad things that had happened to her and her family. Yet he couldn't see himself with her as anything other than a friend. There was just nothing _there_ of a romantic or sexual feeling. He appreciated her and knew that he could tell her anything and be completely comfortable in a way that he couldn't even do with his mother, and yet there was nothing but respect and friendship in him.

Zulf on the other hand… He couldn't have left Zulf to die at the hands of the Ura and like he had told Rucks, he didn't blame him for getting angry. Caelondia's plan had been wrong, plain and simple, and forcing Zia's father to complete it, an Ura himself, even more so. Zulf had lost so much, just like the rest of them, and he'd snapped. Anyone else would have done the same. He remembered curling on the pillow smoking that evening, feeling utterly content around Zulf.

"Kid?"

Kid blinked and blushed more. "W-Well…"

"If you love Zia, then I'm happy for you."

"No, no! Zia's a friend. Really. All she is."

"Then…is your answer to me a yes or no?"

Kid shifted. "…Well…it's a yes…I guess…"

Zulf blinked and surprise flitted across his face. "…Really?"

"Yes…"

Then a great big smile touched his mouth and the slightly taller Ura moved from his cushion over to Kid's. "I love you, Kid." His fingers stroked along soft, still slightly cherubic cheeks and dived into his white hair. It was Kid's first kiss, and it was something else entirely. He didn't know how to describe it, didn't have the words for it even if that tongue hadn't gracefully asked for entrance and been granted into his mouth.

His eyes were a tad dazed as he felt himself being drawn against the Ura's body and held tight. He kept hearing words whispered in his ear, clearly the Ura language, but the tone in which they were said made Kid figure it was just murmurs of endearments, which made him blush even more.

For a moment, they just stayed there like that, with Zulf on his knees, leaning on Kid as Kid settled into the huge cushion. Zulf's lips were still gentle on his, distracting him, so that he didn't even notice as deft fingers began to tug and loosen his shirt. "Uh…Zulf?" he muttered in between moments of kissing.

Zulf paused. "Shall I stop?"

Kid squirmed, not really wanting to admit that he had no clue what he was doing. "I'm just…not…"

"Experienced?"

He nodded in embarrassment.

The Ura smiled at him and slowly pushed his shirt off onto the pillow he rested. "Don't be concerned. That won't matter."

"Well…are you…"

"I have been with both men and women."

"So…"

"I know what to do."

Well at least one of them did! "Should…I be doing something?"

Zulf laughed at him, fingers sliding down underneath the band of his pants and began working them down. "Don't worry, Kid. Whatever you do is fine. Whatever you don't do is fine. All I suggest is quiet, so we don't wake up anyone else."

Geez, he hadn't even thought of that! Kid shifted, squirming as Zulf finally finished undressing him. More words he didn't understand began to flow as the Ura rested over top him again, his clothes feeling like silk against Kid's skin. His arms slowly wrapped around Zulf's shoulders as they kissed, prompting the man to lean their hips together gently. It was warm enough in the tent that he didn't get cold, and how could he with those pale hands wandering everywhere?

So it was with a whine of protest, prompting another low laugh from Zulf, that the hands that had been caressing him left. Kid watched in embarrassed awe as those colorful garments were divested and set in a pile near the cushion until he was nude. His eyes dropped down between Zulf's legs before shooting up fast to look anywhere else.

"We don't have to, Kid. There's no shame in waiting."

"You don't have to worry so much. I can handle it." Zulf looked at him in concern, but settled back into his familiar position. "So…how does this work?"

"You have to relax," his lover told him, a hand slipping down his stomach. Kid shivered as fingers drew so close to his arousal, but instead went around it. His white eyebrows knitted in confusion as they slipped between his legs. "What are you—hell!" He jumped as a finger began probing his rear.

"Shh, it's okay, Kid. Men—"

"I get it!" he interrupted in a hiss, not wanting hear the verbal explanation.

"It'll hurt at first, I won't lie, but that's why I'm doing this: to make sure it won't hurt much. It feels strange, I know."

"Understatement," Kid muttered, shifting as those fingers began to gently explore. His fingers dug into the cushion as Zulf's lips began to leave little marks on his neck as he kissed him. "This is really—shit!" A surge of pleasure had gone up his spine at something Zulf did and he squirmed, letting his head fall back as the one sensation turned into many. He could feel the Ura smiling against his neck, a tongue poking out to run along his collarbone.

"Please enjoy this," Kid heard whispered in his ear, an almost pleading sound to it. It didn't feel like the calm and confident Zulf he knew. Zulf had been raised as a gentleman by a Caelondia missionary, he had always been proper and confident, but this time…

"I-I am," he stuttered as a third finger joined the mayhem and began a soft thrusting motion.

"Then I'm relieved. I love you, Kid."

Their lips met again, this time less gentle and more passionate, but never rough. He didn't think Zulf was capable of rough. Even when Zulf had betrayed them after finding out what happened, he'd done everything he could to warn them in his own way, to try to prevent any of them from being harmed. "Are you ready, Kid?"

"R-Ready for what?"

Zulf smiled and his fingers left, much to Kid's frustration, only to watch in confused amazement when the Ura gripped his thighs and moved them wider before slipping down and holding his rear. He tugged Kid down just a little and their hips met. Comprehension began to dawn as he watched Zulf gently guide his own arousal toward him. "Z-Zulf…"

"Shhh, Kid."

Those were the two words he heard as something nudged against him, pushing slowly but inexorably past the first ring of muscles. He gasped and heard Zulf mutter something he didn't understand, before a hand almost desperately twined in his hair. "Relax, Kid. It's all right, relax."

"C-Can't, feels too...weird…"

Zulf grunted and then wrapped his other arm around Kid's waist. Their lips met in a crash of desire and pain, but the Ura gentled it little by little. Kid reluctantly found himself focusing on the sensations of their kiss, reminded of the almost-eternity they'd spent just doing that. He didn't even realize he'd relaxed until the Ura began to move further in, deeper. Kid squirmed just as Zulf gave one last push and they both gasped before freezing.

"I'm completely in, Kid," Zulf murmured to him, cradling the younger boy in his arms and leaning them more heavily into the cushion. Kid groaned in protest of hearing such an embarrassing statement, but Zulf was beaming. There was a fierce litany of whispered words he didn't understand, but assumed were declarations of love of some kind, given the look in his eyes.

Pale hands gripped is rear lightly, shifting their position just once, then he pulled out and began a gentle rocking back in. Kid moaned when Zulf shifted his angle and hit him just right, sending that pleasure racing up his spine and nerves and chasing away the pain. His arms grabbed the Ura's shoulder, pulling him in close, and there was a sound of pure happiness he'd never heard before escape from closed lips.

The pace was slow, Zulf taking his time. Even when a hand finally wrapped around Kid, the tugs were more massages than anything else, almost painful in its pace. Kid had pleasured himself before in the past, but it had never felt like this, not ever. Zulf was a lot better at this than he was and the Ura had bent all his attention his partner.

His eyes opened, locking with Zulf's, who looked happier than Kid had ever seen him. It was then he knew. Before when they'd spoken, he'd still been unsure of his feelings, only knowing that he was drawn to Zulf, but as he looked at that face and felt a surge of desire to only ever see it smiling, he knew. "I love you, Zulf."

Zulf paused and then the largest smile he'd ever seen yet burst into that pale, expressive face. "Kid…" He seemed at a complete loss for words for the first time in his life and then the arms around him tightened. The pace shifted from leisurely and calm, to clearly having the intent of bringing them both a welcoming climax. Kid had to bite his lip to keep his sounds from waking anyone else. The cushion was big enough for them both, thankfully, so they didn't go tumbling to the ground.

"Kid…are you…" He fumbled for Zulf's hand, yanking it to his groin in a silent, begging way. "You don't have to beg, Kid." For the first time in their acquaintance, that voice was shaking a little and panting in his ear. "I will give you everything you ever wanted, gladly."

The grip around him was not tight, but firm and this time the movements were painfully intent on bringing him to the brink. Between that, their moving hips, and the unfamiliar sensations, Kid couldn't hold back. He buried his cry in Zulf's mouth as their tongues tangled together and his body tensed up as he released in an explosive orgasm. The Ura, even quieter than him, barely made a sound, but what Kid did hear was something he decided he wanted to hear a lot more. It was a soft whimper as Zulf buried himself inside one last time and climaxed.

Zulf pulled out just so he could collapse beside Kid. His hand fumbled for a blanket nearby and yanked it over them before all but latching onto the teenager. "I've wanted to hold you like this for weeks now."

"You could have said something."

"I…was afraid to. After what I'd done, you forgave me and brought me back. I thought it was too much to hope that you'd give me your heart after your forgiveness."

"Then why did you leave the wrist band?"

"To assuage my feelings…and I thought you wouldn't see it at first, or know who it came from," Zulf told him honestly, pulling Kid close and letting him rest his head on his arm.

"They're going to know tomorrow morning."

Zulf's eyes closed. "It doesn't matter. Zia is aware of my feelings and will be happy for us. Rucks… I don't know."

"I don't think Rucks will care," Kid told him as they drifted off to sleep. "All he cares about is that this place really is a bastion for us."

"With you here…it always will be."


End file.
